Treasure-hunting in a garage.
Sebastian Gutsch has been restoring old BMW motorcycles for decades. His bikes are more than just good-looking. The lawyer from Munich also rides his creations at vintage bike races and was one of the first to ride the R 5 Hommage at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, the elegance competition for classic cars. After all, the original engine installed in the bike comes from his own collection. Just one of the many rare finds and stories from his garage.
Passion for motorcycles born in a bicycle shop.
Passion for motorcycles born in a bicycle shop.
The museum at the BMW Welt centre in Munich showcases iconic models from BMW Motorrad's 93-year history. Many of these motorcycles were restored by Sebastian Gutsch. After work, the 50-year-old lawyer changes into his overalls and disappears into his workshop. It's a veritable treasure trove for BMW parts and Gutsch is an expert in restoring old BMW motorcycles. His passion for vintage motorcycles began the first time he visited a bicycle shop owned by an old man. Gutsch was only 14 years old at the time. Actually too young to be interested in old mechanical parts. "I'm fascinated by how all these parts fit together. There's something magical about pulling an old wreck out of the shed and bringing it back to life," says Gutsch.
The first kid with a real motorcycle.
The first kid with a real motorcycle.
Every day after school he would head to the old man's workshop and have fun working on his mopeds. Besides bikes, the old man had a large collection of ancient motorcycles. "He was like a grandfather to me. He taught me a lot, even how to weld." Gutsch later bought his first motorcycle there. It was actually more of a trade. He traded his grandfather figure two mopeds for a two-stroke Rabeneick. He was incredibly proud to be the first kid at his school to own a real motorcycle. It didn't bother him that the six-horsepower, 150 cc bike was slower than the mopeds his schoolmates were riding. He had already caught the motorcycle bug.
Sebastian Gutsch
Don't throw it away. Repair it.
Keeping the whole motorcycle in mind.
Ten years of work on one bike.
Sebastian Gutsch
One man's junk...
One man's junk...
Looking for old BMW motorcycles is like treasure-hunting: You never know what's still out there to be discovered, wrapped in old blankets, long forgotten in a dusty corner of a messy garage. Sebastian Gutsch has not given up the hope of someday finding a 1935 racing bike. An era when BMW riders won every medal there was to be won. Gutsch suspects that those motorcycles fell victim to the desire for fame and glory and were completely destroyed in the tough races of that era.
...is another man's gold.
...is another man's gold.
Gutsch finally found an R 5 and an R 68. He is certain that his R 5 is the original racing bike that Endre Kozma rode to victory in the Hungarian championships. He found the R 68 through a friend who happened across it in Greece. It was in terrible condition. But it was for sale. Gutsch immediately set out for Greece in his old Ford Transit Van. When he finally laid eyes on the motorcycle, he knew he had discovered gold. He now rides the bike across Europe, going on camping trips with friends. So does Sebastian Gutsch only own old motorcycles? Indeed, the only modern bike in his collection is an R 80 G/S. But even that would be written off as old by many.
